The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit First Lady

From the 37th Swimsuit Issue to the 45th POTUS.

In 1990, after a successful run as a TV host in France, Antoine Verglas decided to relocate from Paris to New York and pursue a career as a photographer. He found success quickly and has shot, over the course of his spectacular career, everyone from Angelina Jolie to Cindy Crawford.

He also does a lot of swimsuit work and in 2000, crossed paths with another immigrant who had come to New York in 1996. When Verglas photographed Melania Knauss on a beach, as she galavanted in a bikini while embracing a large inflatable Orca, no one could have guessed that this woman, part of the 37th annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, would one day be on the arm of the 45th president of the United States.

The SI assignment was Melania’s highest-profile U.S. modeling job up to that point. She was also featured in a follow-on 2001 SI Swimsuit Calendar, alongside the likes of Heidi Klum and Molly Sims.

Verglas was responsible that same for a British GQ spread featuring Melania that was famously tapped during the primaries by Ted Cruz. To check out some of Verglas’ latest work, scoot on over to his Instagram.